Geographic, biological, temporal trends, and accumulation parameters of polyfluorinated compounds

Perfluorinated alkyl compounds are globally distributed contaminants, but little information is available regarding trends or variation within a species. Factors affecting distribution of perfluorinated acids (PFAs) in the North American and European Arctic polar bear (Ursus maritimus ) populations were examined using a larger sample size than in previous studies. While there was no gender effect, age was found to correlate with PFA concentrations in juvenile bears. Increasing concentrations from west to east across the North American and European Arctic were observed for most PFAs, similar to trends for PCB congeners. PFA concentrations increased significantly from 1972--2002 for perfluorooctane sulfonate, and perfluorocarboxylic acids with carbon chain lengths C9 to C12.; Dietary and aqueous bioaccumulation potential of two novel polyfluorinated polymers in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) was tested. Methods for extraction from biological tissues and quantification with liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry were developed. No significant bioaccumulation was found.